The biggest spender was the Coalition for Opportunity in Education, which spent $5 million in an unsuccessful push for the adoption of a tax credit for individuals who give money to educational institutions.

"We're just leveling a playing field that's been dominated by one side of the education argument for decades,” said Robert Bellafiore, a spokesman for the group.

New York State United Teachers, which opposed the tax credit, was second on the spending list with $3.8 million spent on lobbying.